


The Loved and the Lost

by StarGazer33



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Loss, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-23 21:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19709575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarGazer33/pseuds/StarGazer33
Summary: After El, Will, Jonathan and Joyce moved to Eastport, Maine, the gang back in Hawkins drifted apart. But the Byers plus El are visiting Hawkins again for a week, giving everyone a reason to reunite.





	1. Chapter 1

#### 

April 16th, 1986

It was getting harder every day. Not seeing Mike or Max, or any of her old friends was taking its toll on her more and more. Luckily, though, she would be heading back to Hawkins for an entire week in the morning, with Joyce, Jonathan and Will. Her new family. Somehow she still wasn’t used to Joyce as her mother, Will and Jonathan as her brothers. After over six months of living under the same roof, it felt like she was still adjusting. 

El had been cleaning her room for the past two hours, and was almost done but could hardly keep her eyes open as it was almost midnight. She sat on her bed and reached to turn off the lamp, but something on the floor caught her eye. 

She had organized her collection of books, which sat in a stack on the floor in front of her. The one on top was Lord of the Rings. But it wasn’t the book that had her attention, it was the bookmark. She stood and carefully removed the folded sheet of paper from the book before situating herself back on the bed. She knew exactly what the sheet of paper was, and she knew she wasn’t emotionally prepared to read it again. But she had to. Unfolding it, she read the note in her father’s voice. 

By the middle she was sobbing. Hopper was a selfless man. A strong, humble man who she still couldn’t quite comprehend was gone. 

__

_“So you know what? Keep on growing up kid. Don't let me stop you. Make mistakes, learn from 'em. When life hurts you, because it will, remember the hurt. The hurt is good. It means you're out of that cave. But, please, if you don't mind, for the sake of your poor old dad, keep the door open three inches.”_

Through her tears, El looked at her ajar door. It had become a habit to never close it all the way. She sometimes imagined, if she did close it, Hopper saying sternly, “Hey remember, three inches,” which always either made her laugh or cry. 

The door opened all the way and in came Will. “What’s wrong?” He sat at the end of her bed. His concerned eyes drifted to the note, and the sight of it answered his question. “Do you want to have a sleepover tonight?” he asked gently. Sleepovers were something El and Will had on occasion when one of them was going through something difficult. El wiped her tears with her sleeve and nodded. 

Will set up his sleeping bag and got in. El turned off the lamp, drowning the room in darkness. “Have you ever lost a loved one?” she inquired. 

“No,” Will answered. “But I know what it’s like.” 

“How?” 

“When I was trapped in the Upside Down, I was certain I would die there. One of the most painful parts of that was the idea of never seeing my mom again, or Jonathan, or Mike or... anyone.” 

A brief silence followed this. “My dad saved you with your mom, didn’t he?” El said. 

“Yeah. The demogorgon got me, and then the next thing I knew, they were there.” A much longer silence. Eleven sniffled. “Hey, get some sleep,” Will advised. “Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.” 

“Right... Goodnight Will.” 

“Goodnight.” 

#### 

* * * * *

Joyce ended a call just as two very nicely dressed customers walked in. “You’re welcome, have a great day.” She set the phone back in its receiver. “Hello, welcome to Flora’s Flowers, what can I do for you two?” 

The man and woman approached the front counter behind which Joyce sat. “We’d like to make an order – a big one,” the man said with a broad grin. 

“Alright then.” Joyce quickly got out an order form and pencil. “What’ll it be?” 

“We need forty bouquets of white roses and forty bouquets of hydrangeas,” the man said. 

“Alright, and is this for a wedding?” 

The man nodded. “It is.” 

“Your name please?” 

“Glenn Newby.” 

As his surname slipped from his lips, the tip of the pencil Joyce was using snapped off. She stared at Glenn – at the striking resemblance between him and Bob. “Sorry, let me get a new pencil...” she said, snapping out of her trance. With a new pencil, she attempted to compose herself. “And lastly, I’ll need a phone number.” 

Glenn gave her the number and as Joyce wrote it down, commented on a nearby bouquet. “Are those snapdragons? They’re gorgeous.” 

“Those are definitely snapdragons,” the woman confirmed. “My mom used to grow them.” 

Joyce finished filling out the order form. “Okay, your order will be ready to pick up by Wednesday – we’ll give you a call.” She was addressing the woman, trying to avoid eye-contact with Glenn. 

“Great, thank you.” They walked out. 

Bob never mentioned he had a brother. Surely Glenn was his brother, or perhaps a cousin? No, the resemblance was too obvious. Joyce spent the rest of the day brooding, unable to get memories of Bob out of her head.

#### 

* * * * *

Work at the arcade had its ups and downs for Steve and Robin. Their wage was significantly better than it was at Scoops Ahoy, and they had each other to joke around with. On the other hand, neither of them particularly enjoyed interacting with their customers, most of whom were at least five years younger than them. 

The day was over, though. As they finished their closing duties Robin said, “I have good news.” 

“Oh? Do tell.” 

“Layla and I are going on a date tomorrow night.” 

“That’s great!” Steve exclaimed, sweeping a pile of debris into a dustpan. “Did she ask you or did you ask her?” 

“She asked me. Enzo’s, tomorrow night at seven. I don’t think I’ve looked forward to an event more.” 

“Meanwhile I’m still single,” Steve sighed. 

“You’ll find her someday. A woman who loves you – and more importantly, your hair – unconditionally.” Robin smirked, adding, “But until then, I’ll be keeping score on the you-rule-you-suck board.” 

“Great...” Steve muttered. “Well, see you in the morning.” 

They went outside and Steve locked the front doors. They each got in their cars and drove off, Robin unable to contain her excitement for the following night and Steve simply exhausted after another long day. He was happy for Robin, who in his eyes deserved the girl of her dreams. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike, Max, Lucas and Dustin prepare for Will and El's arrival, El worries about whether things will be the same and Robin's date turns out to be a heartbreaking disappointment.

A pounding on the door woke Mike from his nap. He groggily sat up and looked at the time – 12:20. He just sat there on the couch for a few moments, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain, before going upstairs. 

He found his mother – or Nancy – had apparently already opened the door for Dustin, Lucas and Max, who were cautiously entering. Max closed the door behind them. 

“Mike, your friends are here!” Karen yelled from the kitchen. 

“I know mom!” 

“There you are, Jesus, we didn’t even see you,” Dustin said, startled. 

“Hello to you too,” Mike muttered. It had been over a month since he saw them. Without El and Will, everything was very different, to say the least. There was no Party anymore. “C’mon.” 

Mike led them down to the basement, where they all took a seat, Lucas and Max on the couch and Mike and Dustin at the table. “Not to be rude or anything, but why did you tell us to come here, Mike?” Max asked. 

“El and Will are coming back for a week,” Mike said, preparing himself for the explosive reactions. 

“What?! You’re joking. This is a sick joke,” Max said in disbelief. 

“Really? That’s awesome,” Lucas said, grinning. 

“I don’t think he’s joking, Max,” Dustin said. 

“I’m not. Will’s mom called my mom yesterday and told her they’ll be here tonight.” 

“Here as in... your house?” Lucas asked, bewildered. 

“No, here as in Hawkins. I don’t know where they’ll be staying, but the reason I told you guys to come here was so I could tell you, and so we’re on the same page.” 

“What do you mean?” Max inquired. 

“We need to make this week worthwhile. It’s been six months since they left, so we need to make it memorable for them and us,” Mike elaborated. “It’s only a week, then they’re going back to Maine for who-knows-how-long.” Everyone nodded in agreement. “So let’s think of things to do while they’re here.” 

“Oh! We should all go to Enzo’s for dinner tonight,” Max suggested. 

“Enzo’s?” said Lucas. Max raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Hm, let’s think – Enzo's. It wouldn’t be the fancy restaurant where we went on our first date, would it?” 

“Oh, right... sorry.” 

“You truly have the memory of a goldfish,” Max said, shaking her head. 

“That sounds like a great idea,” Mike said. 

“Suddenly I’m looking forward to our spring break,” Max said with a small smile.

#### 

* * * * *

El gazed into the dark clouds just beyond the window. Will sat beside her, his head leaned against her shoulder. He had been asleep since shortly after their flight began. 

Across the aisle sat Joyce and Jonathan, both of whom were also asleep. El noticed some time ago that the Byers were heavy sleepers. She, on the other hand, took at least twenty minutes to fall asleep every night and was never able to take a nap. It was simply the way it was. 

Falling asleep on the plane would be impossible, and El knew it, so she continued to stare into the gray void. Her thoughts wandered. Would things be different between her and Mike upon their return? The very idea of this frightened her. And this reminded her of Hopper’s note, which was tucked in her breast pocket. She removed it, carefully unfolded it and found the excerpt that she was thinking of. 

__

_“But I know you're getting older, growing, changing. And I guess, if I'm being really honest, that's what scares me. I don't want things to change. So I think maybe that's why I came in here, to try to maybe stop that change. To turn back the clock. To make things go back to how they were.”_

El realized in that moment how much she could relate to Hopper’s fear of change. But, as he also said, life is always moving, whether you like it or not. So as they landed at the Indianapolis Airport, she made a promise to herself – even if her relationship with Mike would be different, she would accept that.

#### 

* * * * *

“Yo, Robin!” 

A young woman with waist-length black hair came running up to Robin, who had been waiting outside the entrance to Enzo’s. “Hey! You’re looking snazzy,” Robin said, admiring her deep red cocktail dress. 

“Thanks!” 

They entered the restaurant to be greeted by a live string quartet and a waiter dressed in a tuxedo. “Right this way.” They were led to a table in the corner. “My name is Crayg – I will be your server this evening,” the waiter said as he handed them menus. “May I start you off with anything to drink?” 

“Just water for me,” the young woman said. 

“Me too,” said Robin. 

“Very well, I’ll be back in a moment.” Crayg walked off. 

“This place is... Well, fancy is an understatement,” Robin said, taking in her surroundings. 

“You’ve never been here?” 

“Layla, I no longer earn minimum wage, but that doesn’t mean I can afford to go here whenever I please,” Robin pointed out. 

“Ah, true... Well, I already know what I’m getting.” 

Robin flipped through the menu. “Any recommendations?” 

“Hmm, do you like seafood?” 

“Oh yes.” 

“Well you could go with the Scallop Crudo with Lemon and Piment d’Espelette,” Layla suggested. Robin’s eyes widened. “It’s basically raw scallops with this really delicious sauce – trust me, it’s good.” 

“I suppose I’ll try it.” They sat in silence for a moment. “Thanks for this, Layla...” 

“Of course! You’ve been such a good friend, I thought I would treat you to a fancy dinner.” Robin’s smile faded. Her heart sank as the truth made itself painfully clear – she was too hopeful. So hopeful that she assumed Layla had feelings for her when in reality, she probably had a boyfriend. “Robin, are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I just... need to use the restroom.” Robin hurried off in search of the restrooms and found them near the entrance. She burst into a stall, leaned over the toilet and puked. 

When she was done, she leaned against the wall and cried silently, her face in her hands. Once again, her heart had been stepped on by a girl who just wanted to be friends with her. The problem was, friendship wasn’t what Robin wanted. She wanted something more profound. 

She flushed the toilet, and for a split second experienced déjà vu. 

“Steve...” 

She exited the restroom, navigated through the crowd of people waiting for a table and pushed the front doors open. Steve was the only friend she could talk to about anything, laugh with about anything, argue with about anything. The only person in her life who made sense.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve gives Robin a ride home, Mike, Max and Lucas hear about Maine from El and Will and an unexpected guest arrives at the Wheeler's with shocking news.

“Robin? What are you doing here? Are you okay?” 

Robin spun around to face Dustin. Behind him stood El, Will, Mike, Max, Lucas, Nancy and Jonathan. Robin recognized them as the group who took part in the chaos at Starcourt Mall back in July. 

“I’m fine,” Robin replied, wiping her tears as casually as possible. She was still holding the doors open, letting the cool air in. 

“Do you have a ride home?” Dustin asked. He looked genuinely concerned. 

“No, but I – ” 

“We can take you home.” Dustin grabbed Robin’s arm and led her outside to a car that had its headlights on. In the driver’s seat sat Steve. 

“What’s Steve doing here?” Robin asked, bewildered. 

“He’s my ride home too,” Dustin replied. 

Dustin got in the passenger seat, Robin in the backseat behind him. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Steve said. Robin raised an eyebrow at him, and he added, “Oh, your date, of course. Did it not go well? What happened?” 

“You could say that.” 

Steve started driving. They passed El, Will, Mike, Max, Lucas, Nancy and Jonathan as they all crammed into Nancy’s car. As he usually did when he happened to see Nancy, Steve avoided eye-contact with her. 

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I haven’t had much luck relationship-wise either,” he said, his eyes locked on the road. 

“This is different, Steve. I’ve been caught in this cycle that always ends in a girl minimizing our relationship to friendship,” Robin explained. “You have it a lot easier than I do.” 

“Wait, why would she offer to take you to Enzo’s if it wasn’t a date? Isn’t Enzo’s like, the fanciest restaurant in Indiana?” said Dustin. 

“That it is. She had me fooled, that’s for certain...” Robin trailed off and looked out the window. 

“You’ll find her, though,” Steve said. He turned to face Robin as they parked by Dustin’s house. 

“I’ll see you guys later,” Dustin said, getting out. 

“See ya Henderson. But really, I believe you will,” Steve continued. 

“I hope you’re right. It may just be a matter of time.” Robin sighed. “Perhaps I’ve been too impatient.” 

She felt guilty about abandoning Layla at Enzo’s, but at the same time wouldn’t have been able to bear returning to their table. As Steve drove her home, she wondered how much longer she would have to wait for the right young woman to come into her life.

#### * * * * *

El and Will sat in Mike’s basement across from Mike, Lucas and Max. Jonathan and Nancy were chatting nearby.

“Who was that girl at Enzo’s?” Max asked. “She looked familiar.” 

“She was at Starcourt,” Lucas said. “Robin, I think that’s her name.” 

“Oh yeah...” Max turned to El and Will. “You guys haven’t told us about Maine. What’s it like?” 

“Honestly, it’s boring,” El said. Will nodded in agreement. 

“Are you guys liking school there?” 

“I guess,” El said with a shrug. 

“It’s going great for me,” Will said. 

“Why’s that Will?” El asked him, smirking slightly. 

Will looked at her as if to say “Don’t make me tell them.” But it was too late – everyone was looking at him expectantly. 

“I have a boyfriend,” he said. 

At first there was no reaction. Then Max said, 

“That’s awesome Will! What’s his name?” 

“Nice,” Lucas said. 

“I’m happy for you Will,” Mike said with a small smile. 

“Thanks guys... I wasn’t sure how you’d react, to be honest. His name is Julian.” 

It was good to be back, and El and Will both felt more at home in Hawkins than in Maine. It saddened them when they remembered they would be flying back in six days.

#### * * * * *

“Thank you for letting us stay here, Karen.” 

“Of course, Joyce. You’re always welcome here.” 

“How have things been here?” 

Karen looked as if she didn’t quite understand the question, then she glanced at Ted, asleep in his La-Z-Boy. “Ted and I have been struggling to maintain our marriage... But aside from that everything’s been normal.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Joyce’s question was actually referring to whether there were any Upside Down or Russian threats in the recent past. She assumed from Karen’s response that there weren’t, thankfully. 

There was a knock on the door. “It’s almost nine, I don’t know who that could possibly be,” Karen said, her eyebrows furrowed. She went over to the door and Joyce listened to her greet their visitor from the kitchen. 

“Hi, is there something I can do for you?” 

“Is Joyce here? Joyce Byers?” 

Joyce’s eyes widened as she recognized the man’s voice. She hurried to the front door. “Murray? What are you – ?” 

“Thank goodness. You have no idea how long it took to track you down.” 

“Is something wrong?” Joyce asked. 

“It’s Jim,” Murray said solemnly. “I think he’s alive.”

#### To Be Continued...


End file.
